Field Training Exercise Vibrant Response 11.1

Exercise Vibrant Response 11.1 FTX is a Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) training event replicating the federal military role in responding to an improvised 10-kiloton nuclear detonation. VR 11.1 takes place at Camp Atterbury, Ind., and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center March 11 - 20. The exercise will provide the CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force 11.1 relevant and realistic training that challenges about 3,500 personnel from all the services and at all echelons to perform their mission and achieve desired effects in support of overall mission objectives.

What has the Army done?

Army North has worked with United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the Department of the Army and other agencies to develop, organize and unify the military capability in the United States for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) response. Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF) 11.1, led by Army North's subordinate command Joint Task Force - Civil Support, the force includes the following three task forces: (TF), TF-Operations; TF-Aviation and TF-Medical. Additionally, this year's Training and Doctrine Command Exercise Unified Quest will feature a homeland response operations vignette.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?

During Vibrant Response 11.1 Army North will exercise CCMRF 11.1 in a full-scale field training exercise integrated with other national and regional response forces. These events ensure that the CCMRF is fully integrated as part of the Department of Defense tiered response capability, which includes state-based National Guard civil support teams, the National Guard CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP), National Guard Homeland Response Forces (HRF) and the U.S. Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF). Over the course of the next year the DOD will transition the CCMRF into the Defense CBRN Response Force (DCRF) which, using lessons learned from exercises like Vibrant Response and Unified Quest, the Defense Department will be able to bring a more capable response to a catastrophic incident quicker than ever before.

Why is this important to the Army?

Exercising and evaluating the DOD's dedicated, robust response forces ensures U.S. Northern Command and the Army meet requirements from presidential decision directives for an effective national capability to detect, prevent, defeat and manage the consequences of a CBRNE incident. Vibrant Response further enhances CCMRF 11.1's capability to respond to a catastrophic CBRNE incident or attack within our nation's borders.

SENIOR LEADERS ARE SAYING

"Our core objective is, of course, ensuring that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for al-Qaida. Achieving that objective requires that we help Afghanistan develop sufficient capabilities to secure and govern itself, and that effort requires the execution of the comprehensive civil-military effort on which we are now embarked."

- Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee, March 15, 2011, emphasizing that the effort in Afghanistan is more than simply a military campaign and support and resources the United States and the 47 other troop-contributing countries have provided has allowed the civil-military campaign to work

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"It was really something to think that (he) is the last American from the First World War. And it just made me think, that in in 20 or 25 years, it'll probably be the Second World War this will be happening for. In 20 years it'll be them - there are less and less of them."

- Albert Berkowitz, served as a private first class in the Army from 1963-1965, as a microwave technician in Japan, first at Camp Tomlinson in Kashiwa, then in Okinawa.

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